Short-handed KU softball falls to Tigers

Jay Miller was a bit concerned. Missouri University’s softball coach had learned five Kansas players, including four starters, had been suspended, and he didn’t know how the Jayhawks would react.

“You can’t think it’ll be a cakewalk,” Miller said. “Those kids on the bench see it as an opportunity. You can’t take anybody for granted.”

It wasn’t a cakewalk, but the Tigers used a three-run first-inning home run by third baseman Rachael McGinnis, a sophomore from Blue Valley Northwest, to post a 4-2 win over the depleted Jayhawks on Thursday evening at Jayhawk Field.

On Wednesday, KU coach Tracy Bunge suspended third baseman Megan Urquhart, shortstop Courtney Wright, first baseman Lindsey Weinstein, catcher Dani May and utility player Melanie Wallach. Bunge didn’t say why, other than the five had violated team rules.

Second baseman Amy Hulse was the only infield starter who played. Bunge used back-ups Sandy Smith at short and Leah Mountain at first, and was forced to bring centerfielder Shelly Musser in to play third. Ironically, she and the suspended Urquhart are the team co-captains.

“Shelly hadn’t played third since high school,” Bunge said, “but she came out Wednesday morning, took some ground balls and we stuck her over there. We asked a lot of her. You can’t ask much more.”

On a day when she had to use pitcher Kelly Campbell in right field and had no position players available on the bench, Bunge needed a strong pitching performance from Kara Pierce, the staff leader in victories. Bunge didn’t get it.

Pierce walked the first two Mizzou batters and McGinnis launched a rocket over the left-field fence.

“She had nothing today,” Bunge said of Pierce.

Bunge inserted Serena Settlemier for Pierce with two outs in the second and Settlemier allowed only one unearned run the rest of the way. Meanwhile, KU managed just six hits against a pair of MU hurlers.

Missouri has won only three of its 14 Big 12 Conference games so far this season and two have come against Kansas. Bunge had hoped her team would even its conference log at 6-6, but the Jayhawks slipped to 5-7 instead.

“We just didn’t have our A-game together, and this was a big ball game for us,” Bunge said.

Now Kansas will have to play defending conference champion Oklahoma on Saturday and Sunday in Norman. All five suspended players will travel to OU, the KU coach said, but a decision on their status won’t be made until today or Saturday.

“It’s really hard not to see your teammates in uniform,” Musser said. “I think we did the best we could. Now we have to get past this.”

Musser, who made two throwing errors Thursday, hopes she’ll be back in centerfield on Saturday in Norman.

“I’ll play third as long as I need to, but I’d rather play where I’m comfortable,” she said. “We’d love to see (the suspended players) back. But there’s nothing we can change. We have to think positive.”

Notes: Missouri is 27-28 overall; Kansas 29-19 Â MU first baseman Erin Erickson, a senior from Perry-Lecompton, was hitless in three at-bats.

Missouri 4, Kansas 2

Missouri 300 100 0 Â 4 7 0

Kansas 101 000 0 Â 2 6 2

Ingrid Werner, Erin Kalka (3) and Mary McGrane; Kara Pierce, Serena Settlemier (2) and Katie Campbell. WPÂKalka, 13-11. LPÂPierce, 11-7.

2BÂMcGrane, MU; Leah Tabb, KU. HRÂRachael McGinnis, MU.